Cal Boys Soccer Camp - Youth Academy Camp V

This is Cal's Youth Academy Camp V, a four-day day clinic for boys ages 6-13 held July 20-23, 2026, at Maxwell Family Field in Berkeley. The camp costs $549 and runs during the day with no overnight component. It is hosted by UC Berkeley's D1 men's soccer program, which competes in the ACC.

This camp is designed for youth players in the 6-13 age range seeking skill development and exposure to college coaching. It is not a recruiting event or ID camp for high school recruits. The age range signals this is an early-exposure and development opportunity for elementary and middle school players, not a venue for serious recruiting conversations. Families with rising high school freshmen or older should look elsewhere.

Parents should understand upfront that this is a youth skills clinic, not a college identification camp. The head coach does not attend, so there is no active recruiting evaluation happening. The program is strong and the school's academic tier is among the most selective in the country, but those factors are largely irrelevant at this age level. The four-day format does provide more contact time with Cal's coaching staff than a single-day session would, but the primary value is technical development and familiarity with a major college program's training philosophy. At $549, the cost is reasonable for a multi-day residential-area camp but high relative to similar youth clinics elsewhere.

This camp makes sense for families with elementary or early-middle-school soccer players who want quality instruction in a college environment and don't mind traveling to Berkeley. High school athletes or families looking for legitimate recruiting exposure should pass. There is no registration deadline listed, but spots may fill as the July start date approaches.